Pollution control device

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for using the same are disclosed wherein smoke is dispersed by forcing the smoke out of a smoke stack in the form of smoke rings.

United States Patent Stigger POLLUTION CONTROL DEVICE [72] inventor:Earl K. Stigger, 202 S. Reater Drive, 202 S. Reuter Drive, [IL 60005{22] Filed: July20, 1970 [21] App]. No.: 56,446

[52] US. Cl. ..239/423, 46/9, 98/58, 239/1 1 [51] Int. Cl ..F23d 11/10[58] Field of Search.239/l, 11, 291, 423, 424, 424.5, 239/425, 548;46/9; l24/l; l98/58, 59, 60

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,589,603 6/1971 Fohl..239/ll 51 Sept. 26, 1972 3,372,873 3/1968 Weiss et a] ..46/9 X2,788,607 4/1957 Ward ..46/9 3,362,318 1/1968 Tait ..98/58 PrimaryExaminer-M. Henson Wood, Jr. Assistant Examiner-Thomas C. Culp, Jr.Attorney-Milton C. Hansen and Donnie Rudd [5 7] ABSTRACT An apparatusand method for using the same are disclosed wherein smoke is dispersedby forcing the smoke out of a smoke stack in the form of smoke rings.

7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDSEP 2 6 I872 //VVEN70R' EARL KST/GGER BY y ATTORNEY POLLUTION CONTROL DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION 1. Field of the lnvention This invention relates to a methodof dispersing smoke from smoke stacks.

2. Description of the Prior Art For many years smoke stacks have beenused to disperse smoke into the atmosphere. While it is becomingincreasingly less desirable to disperse any type of material into theatmosphere, there are still occasions where proper atmosphericconditions and geographical location make practical the use of smokestacks to disperse smoke. One of the primary objectives in a smoke stackis to elevate the smoke well above ground level in order that it may bedispersed to an extent that it is not harmful to the general populationby the time it eventually reaches ground level.

One of the drawbacks of smoke stacks is their excessive cost. In manylocations it is necessary for a smoke stack to be several hundred feethigh. If a smoke stack is this high and has a large diameter such asfeet or more, then cost of construction is very high. The height ofsmoke stacks can be reduced to as much as onefourth their normalrequired height by causing the smoke stacks to emit smoke rings ratherthan a continuous plume of smoke.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide anapparatus which significantly reduces the cost of constructing smokestacks.

It is another object of this invention to provide a low cost method ofdispersing smoke.

The objects of this invention are accomplished by a method fordispersing smoke and the like from smoke stacks comprising injectingsmoke into the smoke stack and then forcing the smoke out of the stackin pulsed intervals thereby forming smoke rings as the smoke exits fromthe smoke stack.

The objects of this invention are further accomplished by an apparatusfor dispersing smoke and the like, said apparatus comprising a verticalsmoke stack having an exit opening at the top thereof and an entranceport at the bottom thereof; means for introducing smoke into theentrance port of the smoke stack and means for causing the smoke to exitfrom the exit opening of the smoke stack in pulsed interrupted flow andthereby forming smoke rings.

Any number of different means of construction may be utilized to formsmoke rings from the smoke as it exits from the smoke stack. One verygood method of creating smoke rings is to inject properly timed slugs ofan explosive gas mixture into the stack and cause it to explode andthereby create a pulsed flow. Another method of creating a pulsed flowis to merely attach the exhaust of a diesel engine to an alreadyexistant nonpulsating stack. Still another way of creating the pulsedflow is to have a flexible membrane on a wall or in the bottom of thesmoke stack and pulsate the membrane by slowly pulling on it and thenrapidly releasing it. However, I generally prefer that this be byforcing the smoke stream into a pulsed interrupted flow which inconjunction with the exit end of the smoke stack creates smoke rings.One such apparatus can be a nozzle in the lower portion of the smokestack which forces a stream of a gaseous material into the smoke that isalready entering the smoke stack thereby forming a pulsed stream ofsmoke. The gaseous material may either be a portion of the smoke that isdiverted from the entrance stream or air or some other gaseous materialwhich can either be inert or which gives a desired reaction with thesmoke.

Another such construction which can be used for this invention is asparge ring in the bottom of the smoke stack which also emits a pulsedstream of a gaseous material into the smoke. Again, the pulsed stream ofgaseous material may be either diverted smoke or air or some othergaseous material. By use of the term sparge ring" I merely intend tomean cavity which has a plurality of openings through which the gaseousmaterial may be emitted in a pulsed flow.

The method of this invention is new and novel and provides a solution inthat smoke is emitted in the form of smoke rings which have the tendencyto rise upward and this upward rise can replace previous construction ofadditional height of smoke stack.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING l have used the accompanying drawingsto more fully explain and illustrate my invention although the inventionis by no means limited to the specific embodiments illustrated in thedrawings.

l have used FIG. 1 to illustrate a smoke stack in use which is emittingsmoke rings;

FIG. 2 is a cross section of a smoke stack in accordance with thisinvention wherein the smoke entrance is shown having a nozzle thereinwhich injects into the smoke an interrupted pulsed stream of gaseousmaterial;

FIG. 3 is a cutaway view of a smoke stack in accordance with thisinvention illustrating a sparge ring for use in injecting theinterrupted pulsed gaseous material into the smoke stack;

FIG. 4 is one illustration of a rather simple method of supplying apulsed interrupted flow of gaseous material into a smoke stack; and

FIG. 5 is another illustration of a rather simple method of causing thesmoke to exit from the stack in a pulsed flow.

In the drawings, l have used the numeral 10 to illustrated a smoke stackwith smoke rings 11 being emitted therefrom. The smoke stack is suppliedwith smoke through an entrance port 12 which is connected to a smokesupply means 13. The smoke supply means receives its smoke from anincinerater or burning device such as illustrated by the building 14.With relation to FIG. 2, l have shown the smoke supply pipe coming intothe bottom of the smoke stack and turning upward into the smoke stack. Apulsed gaseous supply means 15 is shown supplying a pulsed gas throughnozzle 16 into the smoke stack. This causes the smoke to have aninterrupted pulsed flow and thereby form smoke rings as it exits fromthe top of the smoke stack.

With reference to FIG. 3 of the drawings 1 have shown in the smokeentrance at the bottom of the smoke stack and a sparge ring 17 beinglocated immediately below the smoke entrance and supplying a pulsedinterrupted flow of gaseous material to the smoke stack. The sparge ringis nothing more than a circular piece of pipe with a plurality of holes18 therein. In each of the examples illustrated, the gaseous supply maybe either smoke that has been diverted from the original smoke supplymeans or air or an inert or combustible or reactive gas to give someother desired effect.

In FIG. 4 l have illustrated a very simple device for supplying a pulsedinterrupted gas flow to the smoke stack. in this Figure, the gaseoussupply means is nothing more than a bellows 19 which is moved up anddown by a pulsating arm 20. In FIG. 4 l have shown another embodiment ofthis invention wherein the nozzle is merely placed in the bottom of aconventional smoke stack and an interrupted pulsed gaseous supplydelivered to the nozzle.

While I have illustrated a very simple and well known method ofsupplying a pulsed interrupted gas to the smoke stack in FIG. 4, thisinvention is by no means limited to the use of bellows as the sole meansfor supplying a pulsed interrupted flow of gas. Any of the more modernand conventional pieces of equipment that are well known for thesefunctions can be used as a substitute for the bellows illustrated inFIG. 4.

FIG. illustrates another method of causing smoke to exit from the smokestack in pulsed flow. FIG. 5 illustrates a flexible membrane 20 in thebottom of the stack which has a connection attachment 21 for connectingto a means for causing the membrane to move up and down. Preferably, themembrane is consecutively pulled slowly downward and then rapidlyreleased thereby causing a pulsating flow.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIGS. 2, 3, and 5 illustratepreferred embodiments of my invention although the invention is notlimited thereto, and the invention encompasses all configurations whichproduce smoke rings in a smoke stack.

Having thus described this new and unique invention and illustrated howit significantly advances the state of the art, I claim:

I. An apparatus for dispersing smoke and the like, said apparatuscomprising a vertical smoke stack having an exit opening at the topthereof and an entrance port at the bottom thereof; means forintroducing smoke into the entrance port of the smoke stack and meansfor causing the smoke to exit from the exit opening of the smoke stackin pulsed interrupted flow thereby forming smoke rings; and wherein themeans for causing the smoke to exit from the smoke stack in pulsedinterrupted flow thereby forming smoke rings comprising a nozzle in thelower portion of the smoke stack and means for forcing a pulsed streamof gaseous material through the nozzle.

2. An apparatus for dispersing smoke and the like, said apparatuscomprising a vertical smoke stack having an exit opening at the topthereof and an entrance port at the bottom thereof; means forintroducing smoke into the entrance port of the smoke stack and meansfor causing the smoke to exit from the exit open ing of the smoke stackin pulsed interrupted flow thereby forming smoke rings; and wherein themeans for causing the smoke to exit from the smoke stack in pulsedinterrupted flow thereby forming smoke rings comprising a nozzle in thelower portion of the smoke stack and means for forcing a pulsed streamof gaseous material through the nozzle; and wherein the pulsed stream ofa gaseous material is a pulsed stream of the smoke.

3. An apparatus for dispersing smoke and the like, said apparatuscomprising a vertical smoke stack having an exit opening at the topthereof and an entrance port at the bottom thereof; means forintroducing smoke into port stack and means for causing the smoke toexit from the exit opening of the smoke stack in pulsed interrupted flowthereby forming smoke rings; and wherein the means for causing the smoketo exit from the smoke stack in pulsed interrupted flow thereby formingsmoke rings comprising a nozzle in the lower portion of the smoke stackand means for forcing a pulsed stream of gaseous material through thenozzle; and wherein the pulsed stream of a gaseous material is a pulsedstream of air.

4. An apparatus for dispersing smoke and the like, said apparatuscomprising a vertical smoke stack having an exit opening at the topthereof and an entrance port at the bottom thereof; means forintroducing smoke into the entrance port of the smoke stack and meansfor causing the smoke to exit from the exit opening of the smoke stackin pulsed interrupted flow thereby forming smoke rings; and wherein themeans for causing the smoke to exit from the smoke stack in pulsedinterrupted flow thereby forming smoke rings comprises a sparge ring inthe lower portion of the smoke stack and means for forcing pulsed streamof a gaseous material through the sparge ring.

5. An apparatus for dispersing smoke and the like, said apparatuscomprising a vertical smoke stack having an exit opening at the topthereof and an entrance port at the bottom thereof; means forintroducing smoke into the entrance port of the smoke stack and meansfor causing the smoke to exit from the exit opening of the smoke stackin pulsed interrupted flow thereby forming smoke rings; and wherein themeans for causing the smoke to exit from the smoke stake in pulsedinterrupted flow thereby forming smoke rings comprises a sparge ring inthe lower portion of the smoke stack and means for forcing pulsed streamof a gaseous material through the sparge ring; and wherein the pulsedstream of a gaseous material is a pulsed stream of the smoke.

6. An apparatus for dispersing smoke and the like, said apparatuscomprising a vertical smoke stack having an exit opening at the topthereof and an entrance port at the bottom thereof; means forintroducing smoke into the entrance port of the smoke stack and meansfor causing the smoke to exit from the exit opening of the smoke stackin pulsed interrupted flow thereby forming smoke rings; and wherein themeans for causing the smoke to exit from the smoke stack in pulsedinterrupted flow thereby forming smoke rings comprises a sparge ring inthe lower portion of the smoke stack and means for forcing pulsed streamof a gaseous material through the sparge ring; and wherein the pulsedstream of a gaseous material is a pulsed stream of air.

7. An apparatus for dispersing smoke and the like, said apparatuscomprising a vertical smoke stack having an exit opening at the topthereof and an entrance port at the bottom thereof; means forintroducing for causing the smoke to exit from the exit opening of 5 thesmoke stack in pulsed interrupted flow thereby forming smoke ringscomprises injecting into a previously non-pulsating flow of smoke thedischarge from a diesel engine.

' i i i 2 553 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTIONPatent No. 3,693,883 Dated September 1972 Inventor(s) rl K. Stigger Itis certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the list of inventors on the cover sheet insert --assignors to TheQuaker Oats Company, Chicago, Illinois, a Corporation of New Jersey-.Claim 1, column 3, line 5 4 "comprising" should read -comprises--; Claim2, column 3, line 68 "comprising" should read -comprises. Claim 3,column 4, line 1 1, "comprising" should read -comprises; Claim 3, columnl, line 9, after into insert --the entrance-; Claim 3, column l, line 9,

tar port insert --of the smoke-; Claim 5, column l, line "stake" shouldread -stack.

Signed and sealed this lst day of May 1973.

ll. FLLTCI-IER, 311. RC -ERT GOTTSCIIALK g Cfficer Commissioner ofPatents

1. An apparatus for dispersing smoke and the like, said apparatuscomprising a vertical smoke stack having an exit opening at the topthereof and an entrance port at the bottom thereof; means forintroducing smoke into the entrance port of the smoke stack and meansfor causing the smoke to exit from the exit opening of the smoke stackin pulsed interrupted flow thereby forming smoke rings; and wherein themeans for causing the smoke to exit from the smoke stack in pulsedinterrupted flow thereby forming smoke rings comprising a nozzle in thelower portion of the smoke stack and means for forcing a pulsed streamof gaseous material through the nozzle.
 2. An apparatus for dispersingsmoke and the like, said apparatus comprising a vertical smoke stackhaving an exit opening at the top thereof and an entrance port at thebottom thereof; means for introducing smoke into the entrance port ofthe smoke stack and means for causing the smoke to exit from the exitopening of the smoke stack in pulsed interrupted flow thereby formingsmoke rings; and wherein the means for causing the smoke to exit fromthe smoke stack in pulsed interrupted flow thereby forming smoke ringscomprising a nozzle in the lower portion of the smoke stack and meansfor forcing a pulsed stream of gaseous material through the nozzle; andwherein the pulsed stream of a gaseous material is a pulsed stream ofthe smoke.
 3. An apparatus for dispersing smoke and the like, saidapparatus comprising a vertical smoke stack having an exit opening atthe top thereof and an entrance port at the bottom thereof; means forintroducing smoke into port stack and means for causing the smoke toexit from the exit opening of the smoke stack in pulsed interrupted flowthereby forming smoke rings; and wherein the means for causing the smoketo exit from the smoke stack in pulsed interrupted flow thereby formingsmoke rings comprising a nozzle in the lower portion of the smoke stackand means for forcing a pulsed stream of gaseous material through thenozzle; and wherein the pulsed stream of a gaseous material is a pulsedstream of air.
 4. An apparatus for dispersing smoke and the like, saidapparatus comprising a vertical smoke stack having an exit opening atthe top thereof and an entrance port at the bottom thereof; means forintroducing smoke into the entrance port of the smoke stack and meansfor causing the smoke to exit from the exit opening of the smoke stackin pulsed interrupted flow thereby forming smoke rings; and wherein themeans for causing the smoke to exit from the smoke stack in pulsedinterrupted flow thereby forming smoke rings comprises a sparge ring inthe lower portion of the smoke stack and means for forcing pulsed streamof a gaseous material through the sparge ring.
 5. An apparatus fordispersing smoke and the like, said apparatus comprising a verticalsmoke stack having an exit opening at the top thereof and an entranceport at the bottom thereof; means for introducing smoke into theentrance port of the smoke stack and means for causing the smoke to exitfrom the exit opening of the smoke stack in pulsed interrupted flowthereby forming smoke rings; and wherein the means for causing the smoketo exit from the smoke stake in pulsed interrupted flow thereby formingsmoke rings comprises a sparge ring in the lower portion of the smokestack and means for forcing pulsed stream of a gaseous material throughthe sparge ring; and wherein the pulsed stream of a gaseous material isa pulsed stream of the smoke.
 6. An apparatus for dispersing smoke andthe like, said apparatus comprising a vertical smoke stack having anexit opening at the top thereof and an entrance port at the bottomthereof; means for introducing smoke into the entrance port of the smokestack and means for causing the smoke to exit from the exit opening ofthe smoke stack in pulsed interrupted flow thereby forming smoke rings;and wherein the means for causing the smoke to exit from the smoke stackin pulsed interrupted flow thereby forming smoke rings comprises asparge ring in the lower portion of the smoke stack and means forforcing pulsed stream of a gaseous material through the sparge ring; andwherein the pulsed stream of a gaseous material is a pulsed stream ofair.
 7. An apparatus for dispersing smoke and the like, said apparatuscomprising a vertical smoke stack having an exit opening at the topthereof and an entrance port at the bottom thereof; means forintroducing smoke into the entrance port of the smoke stack and meansfor causing the smoke to exit from the exit opening of the smoke stackin pulsed interrupted flow thereby forming smoke rings; and wherein themeans for causing the smoke to exit from the exit opening of the smokestack in pulsed interrupted flow thereby forming smoke rings comprisesinjecting into a previously non-pulsating flow of smoke the dischargefrom a diesel engine.